


Living In Your Hell

by ArchOfImagine



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, M/M, Mpreg, Omega Castiel, Omega Castiel/Alpha Dean Winchester, a somewhat severe prejudice against alphas and omegas, some jerk characters that are normally nice (like Kevin), unwanted turning (via scent)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-11
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2019-01-16 00:42:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12332070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchOfImagine/pseuds/ArchOfImagine
Summary: Omegas aren’t born. Everyone is born either Beta or Alpha (the high majority being Beta), and the only way Omegas are created is if turned by an Alpha in rut. Because of this fear of being turned, Alphas spotted out during their rut are often shot on sight to protect Betas. Castiel befriends a kid named Sam during his final year of high school. Sam is hated and treated like an outcast because his brother is an Alpha, but Cas learns that the brother does all he can to stay locked up during a rut, trying to prevent accidental turnings or his own death.Unfortunately, since it’s so rare, no one is taught about ‘true mates’ and the fact that a Beta can turn just from the scent of said mate. Castiel wakes up one morning in the hospital, as an Omega, and finds out that the idiot he witnessed hitting on girls (badly) at a random bar… is now his mate.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I had the pleasure of working with [kamicom](http://kamicom.tumblr.com/) for the second DCBB in a row and it has honestly been true luck to get to work with her twice now. Thanks for all the lovely art!

Moving was never easy. Settling into a new home, a new life, and a new community, was one of the more difficult things for anyone to experience, but it was especially hard for a high school senior who stepped away from the only friends he’d ever known and had to get acclimated to the new world at a new high school, when things were already hard. Castiel Novak had bitched and moaned for six weeks, when his dad said he’d gotten a new job offer and they would probably have to move. He’d suggested multiple ideas — everything from living alone to, heaven forbid, living with Great Aunt Sue — but his father depended on him for helping with the younger siblings, and would hear nothing of Cas staying behind.

Thankfully, the new high school was far less ‘cliquey’ than he’d imagined thanks to hundreds of teen movies, and it was easier to settle in than he’d expected. Even still, it took until winter break before he actually felt like he had _friends._ When he stepped back into the school in January, officially an adult at eighteen, he was happy to see Kevin and Adam standing guard by his locker. He greeted them with friendly ‘bro-hugs’ and listened as they described everything they had experienced over break. 

It was nothing like the friendships he had left behind at his old school — nothing could compare to spending eleven years getting to know people — but the days went by easily, just the same. 

On a Friday in March, Castiel was standing with Kevin and Adam outside of the school while they waited for Adam’s mom to pick them up, when his attention was suddenly drawn to a lone boy walking towards the woods that laid west of the school. His head was down, shaggy brown hair covering his face, but Cas recognized from the worn out red backpack and faded brown leather jacket that the boy had to be Sam Winchester, class outcast.

“Freak,” Kevin mumbled from next to Cas. Castiel turned to his friend, only to realize that Kevin was also looking at Sam. Kevin met Cas’ gaze, “You know why they live on the outskirts, right?” 

Castiel shook his head — he had hardly heard anything about the Winchester family.

Adam joined in on the conversation, “You mean the freaks? You haven’t heard, Cas? Sammy Winchester has a brother.”

Apparently he wasn’t seeing the point. “So?” Castiel also had a brother… two, in fact.

“His brother is an _alpha._ ”

His eyes grew big and Castiel turned to look first at Adam, and then Kevin. “No fucking way.” He searched their faces, looking for any sign that they were shittin’ him. “You’re lying.”

Kevin shook his head, “Nope. He’s a few years older and popped his knot one day at school. Lots of drama and panic — word is, their parents ditched them with a crazy uncle that lives in the woods, when they found out. Can’t say I blame them — I definitely wouldn’t want people knowing I had an alpha kid.”

In his eighteen years on earth, Castiel had only heard of three alphas, all older men that lived in his hometown and had mated young. Enough time had passed in history that the genetic abnormality that created alphas was almost obsolete. After a hundred years, a universe of alphas, betas, and omegas, had been overtaken by mostly betas. In fact, the only way to create an omega any more, was for an alpha to mate someone while in rut… which is exactly why people feared them so much. Once a month alphas were all but uncontrollable, and would follow their senses until they found the perfect beta to claim as their mate and turn without the beta’s willing consent.

More often than not, if an unmated alpha was seen in public during their rut, the authorities would simply shoot the alpha to prevent any unnecessary turnings.

A car horn beeped and the three boys turned to see Adam’s mom parked up the drive a bit, as they began walking towards the car, Adam glanced over at Kevin, “I heard they have a dungeon.”

Kevin nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, yeah. They lock him up during his rut — underground dungeon with no smells, that’s how they keep him from getting shot.”

“That’s insane,” Castiel mumbled. He thought about Sammy Winchester and couldn’t imagine having to lock his own brothers up to protect them; watching them slowly suffer for a week.

* * *

Over the next couple weeks, Castiel noticed the young Winchester even more. Though Sam was a year younger and still classified as a junior, he actually shared three of Castiel’s classes: calculus, biology, and socio-economics. It was in the latter class that, when the teacher explained the next assignment would be done in pairs, Cas saw Sam sitting in the back of the class with his hair covering his face and a pencil flying quickly over a piece of paper. As Castiel had expected, no one went near the boy to ask him to be a partner; but if he was smart enough to be in senior-level classes, maybe he was actually the obvious choice.

Grabbing his stack of books, Castiel moved to the back of the room and sat down in the empty desk next to Sam’s. He held a hand out, “Sammy, right? You still need a partner?”

“It’s _Sam_ ,” a voice grumbled at him. A moment later, hazel eyes met his through those long brown tresses. The look was brief, followed by Sam looking back down at his paper. “Not interested.”

Not... _interested?_ Castiel frowned at the brush off. He was trying to be nice to the kid! “I’m pretty sure she said we have to have a partner, and I don’t see any other options for ya—”

“Would rather do twice the work than deal with some punk using me to fuel the rumor mill,” Sam growled. “Move on.”

Apparently Sam Winchester was used to people using him, and had learned his lesson. But Castiel’s motives were true. Well… mostly true. “Can’t give the new kid a break, huh? All I’m trying to do is meet new people.”

“Winchester and Novak,” a voice called from the front. The two boys turned to see the teacher writing their names together on the list of pairings. “You’ll handle the economic crisis in Syria.” 

Sam raised his hand, looking like he was about to argue with the teacher, but she had already moved on to the next group. Cas relaxed back in his new seat, “I guess you’re stuck with me,” he pointed out.

The younger man turned to look at him, gaze heated in anger. “You can do your own work and we’ll combine at the end. If you don’t help, I won’t credit you. Also? No, you can’t come to my fucking house for a study group.”

How many people had attempted to get close to Sam in order to gain information about his brother? Castiel honestly just wanted to know the kid. “I’m not…”

“ _Bullshit,_ ” Sam growled, focus back on his drawing. “You’ll pretend like you mean only good now, and then one of your friends will dare you to get a picture with the pinned up alpha and suddenly your agenda will change. So spare me the bullshit.”

The bell rang, causing Sam to quickly pack up his things and scurry out, leaving Castiel staring slack-jawed at his quick retreat.

* * *

When Sam was a freshman, he fell for a girl named Ruby. She was two years older and seemed to be into all of the same things that he was, judging by the worn-out band shirts that she wore. He drooled over her presence for the entire first half of the school year. At lunch, sitting at a forgotten table in the back corner, he watched her laughing with friends over his pb&j. 

Since he didn’t have friends at school, he had to talk about her with his brother — which was awkward on all sorts of levels, but also helpful since Dean was older and knew how to deal with chicks. Even being an alpha, Dean somehow managed to sneak his way into town when he _knew_ he wasn’t in danger of rutting out, and sleep with hotties from the nearby college bar. (Sam hated those nights, always worried that something would go wrong and he would lose his brother, but he never told Dean.)

Sam spoke to Ruby for the first time on the week of Valentine’s Day. There was a table set up in the cafeteria, where you could buy a carnation and have it anonymously delivered to someone else in school (if you didn’t put your name on the card, of course), and Sam stood by the table, hand clutching his brown paper sack lunch, as he calculated if he had enough money in his locker to buy a flower.

“Sammy,” a voice whispered near his ear. He practically jumped, turning quickly to see Ruby standing there with a smile on her face. “Gonna buy me a flower?”

From that point on, he was seriously smitten. He bought her a flower (three, actually) and found the nerve to put his name on the cards. The next week at lunch, Ruby reached out to grab his hand as he tried to walk past to his usual table. _Sit with us today,_ she said, sliding over to offer him room next to her.

Lunches turned to touches turned to makeout sessions behind the gym and skipping class when Ruby wanted to go to the mall. Suddenly they were _dating_ and Sam couldn’t believe his luck. She was, in his opinion, the prettiest girl in school, and he felt like a completely different person under her affection.

On a Friday night, a month later, when she asked to visit his house for some kissing and heavy petting while Uncle Bobby was out of town… Sam thought nothing of it and said yes without hesitation. 

He expected Dean to be out, since it was the middle of his cycle and the best time for him to get laid, but the rock music coming from his brother’s room told Sam a different story. “We’ll have to be quiet,” he told Ruby, clutching her hand as he pulled her into the study den that hardly ever got used. They made out on the couch for a bit, before a knock on the door had Ruby pulling away.

Sam followed her to the door, asking her over and over what was going on. When she opened the front door, five of her friends from school — ones that Sam hadn’t bothered to learn the names of, in his lust for Ruby — pushed their way inside. _’Did you get the stuff?’_ he heard Ruby ask the group. 

A grocery sack was shoved into Ruby’s hands, and you didn’t have a brother that was an alpha, without knowing _wolfsbane_ based solely on scent. Even without the smell, though, he could see the flowers poking up from the bag. 

“No!” he screamed, suddenly realizing what was happening as Ruby moved to the stairs. A couple of her burlier friends had grabbed onto Sam’s arms and were keeping him at bay.

“Now, now, Sammy, you know this will make your life _so much easier_ ,” Ruby stated, from the bottom stair. She shook the bag of flowers, before turning to continue her journey upstairs.

“Dean! RUN!!” He managed to scream, before a hand was clasped over his mouth.

If his brother came in contact with the plant, it would immediately trigger a rut — and if any of the people standing in their living room was packing a weapon, they would, by law, have the right to kill Dean on sight if they feared he was in rut. 

As he struggled against his captors, he was forced to listen to the things they were saying about ‘disgusting’ alphas ruining humanity and needing to be extinguished. 

Looking back on that moment, Sam still wasn’t sure how his brother managed to remain calm. All he could remember was Dean stepping out of his bedroom, Ruby and the bag held out in front of him, eyes glowing just the slightest shade of red. _’Get the fuck out of my home,’_ he had growled, and apparently the kids had ideas of taking on a rutting alpha… until they were actually faced with one. Sam was dropped to the floor as the two holding him fled out the front door, and he watched as the other three backed in that same direction. 

When Dean and Ruby reached the bottom stair, Sam saw what the others must have already seen before running… there was blood dripping down Ruby’s face and she wasn’t walking in front of Dean… his brother was actually holding her up a few inches off the ground. Dean shoved Ruby out the front door, not caring at all if she landed on her face, and locked up the door before turning and heading for the basement. 

‘ _Sam, come lock the safe room,’_ was all he said as he walked past the spot where Sam was still trembling on the floor. He wasn’t afraid of his brother — never had been, never would be — but the idea of losing Dean always left him shaken.

From that moment on, Sam avoided _everyone._ Friends? Who needed them. Girls? Overrated. Lab partners? No thanks. If the price for having those things was risking his brother’s life, then Sam would happily spend the rest of his school days alone. 

New kids like Castiel Novak be damned.


	2. Chapter 2

When Kevin and Adam found out that Castiel was partnered with Sam Winchester for a project, they immediately tried getting information out of Cas. _Are you going to see his house? Are you going to see the Alpha? How did you get him to trust you?_ Eventually, Castiel had enough from the endless questions and told them both to leave him alone about it. “It’s a school project, guys. Leave it alone,” he finally growled.

They treated him a bit different after that, but Castiel couldn’t really be bothered to care. After two class periods of working on their project, Cas found that he enjoyed Sam’s company and snarky attitude. He also had a tendency to mutter sarcastic replies to both the teacher and other students, under his breath, which Cas found absolutely hilarious — to the point that he spent most of the class stifling his laughter. When they got to the point in their project that meant time spent together outside of class, Castiel didn’t hesitate to suggest that they get to school early and work on it in the library — or meet up in town at a cheap restaurant. Alpha brother removed from the equation... if Cas wasn’t real interested in inviting people back to his house, he had no right to suggest going to someone else’s. And he _really_ didn’t want to deal with the questions his father would ask if he showed up with a friend at the house. 

No one deserved that kind of interrogation about religious beliefs.

They ended up meeting at a Denny’s out along the interstate. Sam got dropped off in an old junker Pontiac and looked… _relaxed_ when he slid into the booth across from Cas. He heaved his backpack into the seat next to him and smiled. “I never get nights out.”

Castiel nodded, because he definitely understood that struggle. “Me either. Usually I’m stuck at home keeping an eye on my younger siblings.” He pushed a menu across the table. “Eat first? Then study?”

* * *

“Cas! Yo, Cas, wait up.” He came to a halt in the hallway, turning to where Kevin was running to catch up with him. When Kevin was there, he took a moment to catch his breath, before grinning. “Are you coming Friday?”

Castiel frowned, eyes squinting a bit at his friend. “Where?”

“Joey Zimm has his mom’s minivan this weekend, while she’s out of town, so a bunch of us are hitching a ride with him and going to the city. There’s a club for people over eighteen. You get stamped and can’t drink, of course, but you still get to enjoy the scene.”

“I don’t know—”

“Come on, Cas! We’ve barely gotten to hang out while you’ve been sucked into that sociology project. Adam says you’re queer for Sammy boy.”

Castiel growled under his breath as he turned to face Kevin, “Why don’t you cut the fucking kid a break and stop treating him like he’s filth on your shoe? His name is _Sam_ , and it’s none of Adam’s fucking business who I’m ‘queer’ for — yours either. And frankly, Kevin, if the trip is just going to be you and the rest of the van bad mouthing people you don’t even know, then I’m not interested.”

“Jeez, man, chill out. Ever since you’ve started hanging out with that kid you’ve turned into a self-righteous prick.” Kevin brushed past him. “Consider the invite redacted.”

Castiel rolled his eyes but couldn’t really be bothered to care. There was two more months of high school and he would be done with all of the drama — he didn’t need to stress about people that bad mouthed others the way that Kevin and Adam did.

Carrying his bag towards the exit, Cas was happy to be done for the day and heading home. His dad had let him drive the car that morning, which was an extra special treat. He had just stepped outside, when he noticed Sam walking a few feet ahead, hair a mess and arm gripping a spot on his stomach. He looked like he was limping…

Cas shouldered his backpack and hurried across the lawn to catch up with his friend. “Sam? You okay, man?” Stopping, Sam looked up at him with a grimace. Cas saw the beginnings of a black eye and frowned. “What happened?”

Sam rubbed at his hair, avoiding Cas’ gaze. “I’m fine.”

“No, you aren’t. You can barely walk. Talk to me, Sam.”

“My last period is gym,” Sam mumbled. “Some assholes thought it would be funny to make me their target in flag football.”

“Come on.” Castiel motioned across the parking lot. “Dad let me drive today. I’ll give you a ride.”

“No!”

Castiel frowned at the sudden outburst, before realizing what Sam must think. He had known the other boy long enough to know that he had serious trust issues (and it really hadn’t even been that long), so was it any surprise that he wouldn’t want people going near his home? 

“It’s not a trick, Sam. I’ll stop at the end of the driveway. But you can’t walk three fucking miles with a limp. It’s supposed to rain—”

Hazel eyes looked up at the dark sky, before meeting Castiel’s gaze. “You’ll stop at the driveway? Promise?”

“Yes.”

The car ride to the edge of town where Sam lived, was surprisingly short. Castiel knew from their talks, though, that Sam usually walked through the woods, taking a more scenic route so that he could walk off the day’s events and let his mind wander. 

When they pulled up at the edge of a driveway, with a mailbox marked ‘Singer’, Castiel could just barely make out a two story blue house in the distance. Habit had him wanting to ask if Sam was really going to be okay walking the rest of the way, but he bit his tongue. _Trust_ had to be earned. And broken promises would get him nowhere. “My dad’s been in a good mood recently. I bet I could get him to let me use the car tomorrow as well. I’ll text you and let you know… if so, I could pick you up right here?”

“Thanks, but my uncle will probably either demand I stay home, or give me rides for the rest of the week.”

“Yeah. Yeah… cool.”

Sam turned to him, offering a small, shy, smile. “Thanks for the ride, Cas.”

“No problem.”

He sat and patiently watched as Sam climbed out of the car and hobbled along up the driveway. He couldn’t help thinking that people were fucking stupid — because Sam was smart and awesome and it wasn’t _his fault_ that he had an alpha brother. People should give him a fucking chance.

* * *

On Friday morning, Cas’ dad made the surprising announcement that he was taking the younger boys on a camping trip for the weekend and it was completely up to Cas if he wanted to go or not. _“If you don’t, that’s fine, but I expect you to behave yourself.”_ Since Castiel had plans to work a few yard cleaning jobs on Sunday, he declined the offer. Not to mention the fact that staying home would equal the first weekend without his brothers that he had enjoyed since the youngest was born…

When that evening rolled around, after finishing homework and eating a solitary dinner, Cas decided he was going to take advantage of the free time and actually _go out._ There was a bar in town that he had heard rumors about looking a blind eye towards the younger crowd… but it helped that Cas had a fake id and generally looked older. He pocketed the id and his cash before heading out of the house. Without the family car he had to walk, but it wasn’t that far and the night was cool enough. 

When he got to the bar, the bartender barely even blinked at him as he took the offered cash and set a beer down in front of Castiel. Cas smiled over the lip of his glass and happily sat on a stool at the edge of the bar. A girl sat just around the corner of the bartop, looking a bit agitated as she waited on her drink. Castiel had decided when he was fourteen that he much preferred crushing on boys in school, rather than girls, but he could still sit there and respect the fact that the girl was pretty.

She had also, unfortunately, caught the eye of the young man sitting on the other side of her. Cas noted the look of lust in the guy’s sharp green gaze and rolled his own eyes as he focused on his beer.

“Looks like heaven is missing another angel…” the guy mused, hand inching closer to the woman’s arm.

Cas couldn’t help it, at the overly cheesy line, he snorted into his beer, almost choking himself. When he set his glass back down on the bartop, he looked up to see both the woman and not-too-suave dude eyeballing him. The girl looked slightly amused, while the guy just looked both aggravated and angry. Castiel took another sip of his beer, before tilting the glass in their direction. “I’m sorry,” he managed. “I just didn’t think guys still tried those bullshit lines.”

The girl snorted, finally accepting her drink from the bartender. “You’d be shocked by how often they try. Even when it never fucking works.” She winked at Cas, before standing — completely ignoring the other guy. “Have a good one, doll,” she said before walking off to join a large group of women in the corner.

Castiel was just about to take another drink, when green-eyes was suddenly sliding up into his personal space. A huff of breath and the guy growled, “You got a fuckin’ problem, kid?”

_Shit._ He was not in the mood for getting his ass kicked. Why hadn’t he kept his mouth shut? Taking a deep breath, he turned to the other guy. “No, okay? I’m sorry. I’m sure there are more chicks for you to prey on—”

“I’m not _preying_ on anyone. I’m not some fucking animal.”

“Listen…” Castiel finished his beer and stood, hands out in front of him. “I’ll go, okay? I’ve finished my beer… now I’ll go.” He had once snuck out to a bar in his hometown and it had actually been a pleasant experience. He had drank a few beers, played some pool, and then walked home. Apparently it was too much to expect that podunk little town to be so easy-going…

The guy let him leave, but only after one more sharp snarl under his breath. Fucking small town assholes thinking they ruled the world.

He walked home slowly, stopping on the way to pick up a half-priced milkshake from Sonic. When he got to the house, he tossed away the empty styrofoam cup and headed upstairs to watch mindless television until he fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Saturday morning, Cas woke up feeling like shit. A feeling that lingered for the rest of the weekend. Getting through work on Sunday was made especially difficult by the migraine thumping incessantly in his head, and stomach felt like it was trying to rip out of his body and find a new home.

Monday morning, walking into school, he wore his comfiest clothes and a pair of sunglasses, but still his skin itched and his brain throbbed. His dad wasn’t one for allowing the skipping of classes — especially right before graduation, so Cas didn’t even bother trying to get out of going.

The only reprieve he got came at lunch, where he was sitting a table as far away from the sounds of chaos in the room, and poking disinterestedly at the slice of pizza that had been placed on his tray. His stomach gurgled at both the idea of eating… and of continuing not to eat.

Then, a tray was placed on the table across from him, and without looking up, Castiel took a deep breath — ready to read the riot act to anyone who dare to bother him — and suddenly felt ten times better. His head relaxed, his stomach unwound, and then general unease seemed to dissipate. Looking up, he saw Sam sitting down across from him with a confused smile. 

“You okay?” Sam asked, motioning with his chin at Cas’ sunglasses.

He took another deep breath and realized suddenly that it was a _smell_ coming off of Sam, making Cas feel better. “God, you smell amazing,” he stated without thought.

“I do?” Sam frowned, raising his arm and sniffing at his pits. “Pretty sure I’m wearing the same shit I always wear.”

He breathed in, almost able to taste the slightest hint of cinnamon… feel the air blowing through a forest full of pine trees. Fuck. He looked down his body and frowned. Why the fuck was his dick hard? His eyes squinted behind his sunglasses. After being sick for three days… why the hell was he suddenly randomly getting turned on? He had no idea.

“Fuck, I forgot ketchup for my fries.”

Castiel looked up, watching in panic as Sam stood and moved back through the crowd to where the condiment station was. He whimpered — actually fucking _whimpered_ — at the sight of his friend being so far away. When Sam finally started back, Castiel quickly reached out, grabbing Sam’s tray and moving it to the space beside his own. As Sam got to the table, he frowned, but shrugged and sat down next to Cas instead of across from him.

Castiel, without thinking, laid his head on Sam’s shoulder and let out a deep, contented, sigh.

“I hate to tell you this,” Sam mused, “but this really isn’t going to stop the rumors that we’re dating.”

He grunted a response, because he couldn’t be bothered to care when Sam smelt so good. And since he had spent most of the weekend struggling to sleep (what with the migraine and the nausea), he found that resting against Sam’s perfect smell, finally allowed him to shut his eyes and doze off.

It was _perfect._

* * *

When Castiel woke up, his migraine was back with a vengeance, causing him to immediately roll onto his side and throw up. It was only after losing the meager contents of his stomach, that he realized he was laying on a flat table/bed in the school nurse’s office. A woman who was now hurriedly handing him a bag (“In case you have to do that again!”) and cleaning up the mess he had made.

A door slammed shut and he held his head, “Shh.”

“Castiel?”

It was his father’s voice, but he couldn’t be bothered to blink his eyes open and acknowledge the man. Where were his glasses? Why were the lights so fucking bright? Where was _Sam_ and his awesome smell?

“Mr. Novak,” the nurse greeted, sounding way too loud and way too cheery. “I’m glad you’re here. I think Castiel has the flu. He passed out on one of his classmates, who then got our attention so we could bring him here. He’s been mostly unresponsive the entire time.”

“Castiel, if you were sick, why did you come to school today? You know I don’t have the ability to leave work whenever I please, without good reason!”

“Please stop shouting,” he managed to moan.

“Just when I think you’re an adult, you do something stupid like this. Heaven help me. Just like your mother. Get your things and come on… I need to get back.”

Slowly, carefully, he sat up and bit back another wave of nausea at the movement. When he was upright, the nurse placed his backpack, and _thank God_ his sunglasses, into his hand. He put the glasses on and was finally able to blink his eyes through the bright florescent lights of the office. 

He could do this, he thought. He made a move to get down off of the table and stand on his own two feet… and immediately collapsed to the floor in a heap.

Nope…

He couldn’t do it.

As he shut his eyes again, he blissfully tuned out his father’s angry voice.

* * *

Traditional parents would take their children to a hospital. 

Castiel woke up in his own bed.

He had absolutely no idea how he had gotten from the nurse’s office to his bedroom, but snuggling down into his sheets… he couldn’t find the means to care.

Everything still hurt, of course, but at least his room was dark and the bass drums in his head were taking a break. 

Too bad he was sweating and probably running a fever. Being sick fucking sucked.

* * *

He was vaguely aware, in the back of his mind, that he _should_ be getting better as each day passed. Instead, the opposite seemed to be happening. A week later, Castiel woke up feeling like his skin was on fire, sweat drenching his body and both his clothes and sheets soaked through. He rolled out of bed, wanting to find a glass of water to quench the unbearable thirst — but when his knees hit the floor, he screamed out in agony and his entire body seized. Even through his pajamas, he could feel the scratchy texture of the carpet below his knees — cutting through like a million shards of glass.

As he slumped forward in agony, he cried out again as his bare arms and face made contact with the carpet. 

Through the pain, he didn’t even notice a light shining into his bedroom as his little brother opened the door to check on him, and then cried out for their father to come quickly.

* * *

When Castiel became aware again, he was still in pain, still boiling with fever, and his head was back to pounding hard enough for him to keep his eyes squeezed shut. Even still, voices began to register.

“You can’t be serious—”

“We are, Mr. Novak. We’ve done the tests three times over and even performed an ultrasound. There is no doubt that your son is now an omega.”

Cas could hear the fury in his father’s voice, even as the meaning behind the words didn’t quite permeate his brain. “This is absurd! He hasn’t been bitten _or_ mated. He’s been a perfectly normal beta for eighteen _years_ and now you’re telling me, by some fluke of nature, that he’s become an omega?”

“Not a fluke, no. We’ve contacted the authorities. There is only one unmated alpha in town and obviously he must have some connection to this mess. Apparently genetics are changing and alphas are now able to turn betas without biting—”

“I want him dead!”

“Yes, sir, of course. Once they have the alpha in custody, we’re thinking that ending his life will reverse the change in your son. If there’s not bite, there’s absolutely no reason why it would harm Castiel.”

“Good.”

“Of course, if the alpha isn’t in rut, then a judge will have to approve the execution—”

“Unbelievable. My son is practically on his deathbed, and that alpha gets to remain alive because of _politics?_ ”

“Since the meeting with the judge will obviously not occur until Monday, at the earliest, we’d like to put Castiel into a medically induced coma to keep his vitals up. We believe it will also help to stave off the fever.”

* * *

Castiel woke in a forest of pine trees. He smiled, because for the first time in what felt like forever, he could open his eyes and not be brought to his knees by pain. When he saw the towering trees around him, part of his mind tried to tell him that something was wrong. Shouldn’t he be somewhere else? Where was he last? Where was he now? How did he get there?

He heard his name on the breeze, but it was less a voice and more a whisper from the trees themselves. He stood, realizing that he was naked but not really _caring._ As he walked along the soft moss lining the earth floor, he followed in the direction that smelled like cinnamon and fresh baked goods. Like a home that he hadn’t known since his mother was around. 

“Hello?” he called out to the trees, but they only answered with the simple whisper of his name on the breeze.

He felt a longing, for something he couldn’t place. A loneliness that was suddenly cloying and he began running, hoping that he could find the edge of the forest and the source of the cinnamon in the air.

The forest never ended.

Like a bad dream, the trees began to warp and tangle together, making it harder and harder for him to move. 

A root suddenly jutted up from the ground, causing him to trip and fall onto the moss below. On his hands and knees, the trees began to circle around him, twining together, caging him in, chanting his name.

”Help!” he cried. 

_Castiel. Castiel. Castiel. Castiel. Castiel._ The trees chanted.

He tried to stand, but the vines and roots had him locked on his hands and knees.

_Omega. Omega. Omega. Omega._

_**Omega.** _


	4. Chapter 4

\--- **Interlude: Sam** \---

* * *

Something was wrong with his brother. Sam watched as Dean paced the living room for another ten minutes, before moving back into the kitchen to search the cupboards... _again._ It wasn’t the normal rut symptoms, though, or Bobby would have noticed and sent him downstairs.

It was like Dean was _antsy._ That was the best word that Sam could find to describe his brother’s actions. He paced, he rearranged Bobby’s books like just staring at them on the shelf was driving him crazy, and he hadn’t sat down in two days.

“Are you sleeping?” Sam asked, following his brother into the kitchen and watching in suspicion as Dean began rearranging the canned goods cupboard.

“No,” Dean growled.

“It’s not a rut, right? It doesn’t seem like a rut.”

“It’s not a rut.”

Sam frowned, even more concerned. “What is it?”

“I don’t know. I just feel like something is... _missing._ My alpha keeps wanting me to go out searching for something that it wants, but if I go out there—” Dean frowned. “Idiots would probably think its a rut.”

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by a sharp knocking on the front door. He felt his blood run cold as he turned to look toward the dining room window, the one that faced the front of the house, and saw the red and blue lights flashing through the blinds. “ _Shit._ ”

“Go get Bobby,” Dean growled. “Probably just that punk that likes to stir up trouble every time something happens in town.”

Sam rushed out the back door, heading for the old barn on the back side of the property, the one that Bobby had turned into a shop for repairing local cars. “Bobby! Uncle Bobby!” He swung around the corner and into the building so quickly that he kicked dust up with his shoes. “Cops are here.”

It was all he had to say to get Bobby moving and soon they were both racing back across the yard, bypassing the house and going directly around to the front. When Sam cleared the side of the house and saw his brother in handcuffs, being shoved towards the back of a police car, he felt his blood run cold. “Dean!”

Dean looked up, a sorrow in his gaze. “It’s okay, Sammy.”

Except it wasn’t okay. It wasn’t going to be okay. Bobby began arguing with the cops about the justification of arresting Dean, and all Sam could understand was something about a beta being turned and Dean being the only unmated alpha in town. When Bobby argued that Dean hadn’t had a rut, the cops tried saying something about a turning without a bite... which, to the best of Sam’s knowledge, was impossible... right?

Then Sam heard a name. _Novak._ He suddenly remembered how his friend had been acting recently — how he had seemed to calm down immensely when he was near Sam’s scent.

But maybe it _wasn’t_ Sam he was smelling. Maybe he was catching Dean’s scent that always seemed to linger on Sam’s clothing. As the cars sped off, Sam turned to look at his uncle. “Novak. Did they say Castiel?”

Bobby looked at him in confusion, like that was the very last thing that Sam needed to be worrying about, when his brother was being driven away in a police car, possibly to his own demise. “Yeah,” Bobby grunted, “What does it matter?”

“Do you still have that old book on alphas and omegas? The one by a Dr. Gray-something?”

“Grayson. What’s going on in that head of yours, boy?”

“I think Dean and Castiel are true mates. I remember reading something in that book about how scent bonds only happen with true mates—”

Finally, Bobby started to catch on. “And if they kill Dean, they kill this Novak kid.”

* * *

When Sam and Dean first got dropped off on Bobby’s porch, Bobby decided it would be a smart move to make friends with a lawyer. Having an alpha in the house created the possibility of many different problems, and he saw the easiest solution as having someone close by that was on their side. 

So that evening, when Sam walked into the hospital where Castiel was admitted, he had Jody Mills walking by his side. They had immediately called her and explained the situation, even as they continued researching the concept of true mates. 

They were at the hospital in order for Sam to test a theory, a fact that would be witnessed by Jody and could be brought before the judge as quickly as possible. 

As expected, since Castiel was in intensive care, they weren’t allowed to actually go in his room. Thankfully, his room could be seen through a large window where they could look in on him, and with a proper sob story to the nurse on duty, they were allowed a ‘favor.’ The nurse explained that Cas’ levels had been steadily dropping over the past day, and even with the help of the drug induced coma to try and ease symptoms — he was still getting worse. 

Sam stood at the window, Jody by his side, and watched as the nurse moved into the room carrying the blanket that Sam had claimed was Castiel’s ‘favorite.’ She spread out the blanket on top of Castiel’s prone form, making sure to tuck it in around his chin as much as possible. When she was done, she turned to the window and gave them a thumbs up and a smile.

Then, a moment later, her face changed to one of confusion and her focus turned to the machines that were monitoring Cas’ vitals.

“Watch,” Sam whispered to Jody, as if she would possibly be looking somewhere else.

The nurse checked the machines, like she didn’t believe that the readings were accurate, then stepped out of the room and went straight to the nurse’s station to pick up a phone. A second later, a voice called out a code for Castiel’s room. As Sam and Jody looked on, all but forgotten, a team of nurses and a doctor moved into Castiel’s room and began checking him. An argument seemed to break out between the doctor and the initial nurse, and then a finger was pointed at the window and where Sam and Jody stood. 

The doctor stared at them briefly, before grabbing the blanket and exiting the room. “What is this?” he demanded, stepping in front of Sam and Jody. “What did you lace this with?”

Sam opened his mouth to answer, only to be interrupted by alarms sounding from Cas’ room. 

“Doctor!” A voice called. “His vitals are dropping drastically!”

“Put the blanket back,” Jody demanded. “Then we’ll explain.”

He glared at her for a moment, before entering the room again and replacing the blanket. 

As it had before, the scent seemed to calm down the machines and start to improve Castiel’s condition. This time, when the doctor came to demand answers, he left the blanket in place.

Sam stared at his friend for a moment, before meeting the man’s gaze. “Have you heard of ‘true mates’, sir?”

“You mean the fairy tale people told to kids in Disney movies?”

“Fairy tales based on ancient folklores that are based on the truth.” Sam motioned to Castiel. “That’s my brother’s favorite quilt. He sleeps with it every night. It’s covered in his scent.”

“And? I don’t get how that would affect my patient—”

Sam rolled his eyes. “My brother is the alpha they arrested and charged with turning Castiel. But Dean hasn’t been in a rut and you said it yourself that Castiel isn’t marked. So he was changed by _scent_ and scent alone. Something that the folklores state is only possible with true mates.”

The doctor glared at Sam for a while, before turning back to look at Castiel. “And once we get rid of that damn brother of yours, Mr. Novak here will return to normal.”

“You know that isn’t true,” Jody spoke up. “You’re seeing first hand the reaction that Castiel is having to Dean’s scent. When he’s near it, his health improves; when it’s gone, he goes straight into a decline. They are connected already, the change has been made. If an alpha is killed after a mating, what happens to the omega?”

The doctor growled, “They die.”

Sam stepped forward, “If you want to help Castiel, you have to bring them together. The only thing that is going to fix him now, is having his alpha present.”

* * *

The next day was a bit hectic. At the doctor’s request, Dean was brought to the hospital and put into a room next to the one where Castiel remained. He was still technically in ‘custody’ and had guards on his door at all times, but the doctor had dropped charges against him for the time being.

Castiel had been taken off of the medicine keeping in a coma, and with the help of Dean’s blanket, and the t-shirt that Dean had been most recently wearing, his vitals had improved drastically. He was still running a low-level fever, but they had moved him out of the ICU and into a normal room without fulltime monitoring.

From his spot in Dean’s room, and sneaking around in the hallway, Sam learned that the main issue seemed to be Castiel’s dad. He refused to negotiate letting Dean into Castiel’s room — despite both the medical staff and Jody advising the benefits of having his alpha near. According to Mr. Novak, there was no way his son could possibly be an omega, and Dean still needed to be killed.

Sam waited, biding his time for Mr. Novak to leave and go home to his other sons. When it happened, he gave it another two hours of silence, before tracking the time between nurse rotations and sneaking into Castiel’s room. He shut the door behind him and moved past where Cas was sleeping soundly, to the far wall that housed three large windows. Though Dean had men posted at his door, for the most part the cops were allowing him to do as he wished in the room, since he wasn’t currently a criminal being charged with a crime.

As Sam had expected, Castiel’s room had a window that opened, just like Dean’s did. He smirked, opening the window and leaning out. “Come on,” he whispered, looking to where his brother was leaning out the next window. There was a ledge, giving Dean enough room to easily walk across between the two rooms.

When Dean slipped into the room, he took a deep breath, and his whole body shuddered. Being so near to Cas had been driving his alpha even more crazy, and it was like as soon as they were in the same room, everything calmed.

Dean turned, finally looking over to the person in the bed. When he saw Castiel, though, his eyebrows pulled together in a frown. “You have _got_ to be kidding me.”

“What?” Sam didn’t understand the negative reaction. “What is it?”

“Him? Why did it have to be _him_?”

He realized, suddenly, that he had never asked how Dean might have met Castiel. To be fair, they lived completely different lives and the idea that their paths had crossed at any point, seemed a bit absurd. “Where did you meet?”

Dean snorted, looking aggravated despite the fact that his alpha seemed to be moving him closer and closer to Cas’ bed. “I was at a bar, trying to pick up a chick, and he interrupted. Called me on my pick-up line and ruined everything.”

Sam waited a moment... before starting to quietly laugh. “That is awesome. And totally Cas.”

Now at the side of the bed, Dean reached out and lightly brushed his fingers along Castiel’s face. “I hate him. This isn’t fair. Stupid genetics.”

“Hate you too,” a rough voice mumbled. “ _Douche._ ”

“Cas!”

Sam stepped to the other side of the bed, watching happily as Castiel’s eyes opened. “God, I’m so glad you’re okay. They thought you were going to die, before we got Dean moved here.”

Sam helped Castiel take a few sips of a nearby cup of water. Once his thirst was quenched and his throat cleared, Cas looked from Sam, to where Dean stood. “Wha’ happened?”

“Scent match,” Dean answered. “Sorry. My alpha is apparently an idiot with terrible taste.”

Panic started to blossom on Cas’ features, and he turned back to Sam, “Am I—?”

Sam nodded. “They thought that Dean turned you on purpose and took him into custody. Your dad wants him dead.” A smile tugged at Sam’s lips as he realized that despite his issues with suddenly being an omega (and with Dean, in general), Castiel had taken Dean’s hand and Dean was brushing his thumb back and forth over the top of Cas’ hand.

“Hate to say this, ‘mega, but your dad is a grade-A dick,” Dean mused. “He still wants my blood, even knowing that us being together is what’s making you better.”

“How did you get in here then?”

“It’s one a.m. — everyone went home and they’ve got me pinned down in the room next to yours. So Sammy here opened the windows so I could sneak in.”

Castiel looked back to Sam, “Thanks.”

“No problem. It was obvious that the only thing that was going to wake you up, was having Dean in here.”

The funniest thing about the whole situation, seemed to be the fact that Castiel and Dean were moving on their own, without realizing what they were doing. It didn’t take long at all before suddenly Cas was carefully snuggled against one side of the bed... and Dean was laying down next to him, letting out a happy sigh as he nosed against Cas’ neck.

“Should I leave y’all alone?”

“No!” they both responded simultaneously.


	5. Chapter 5

When Castiel’s father walked in on Cas and Dean snuggled in the same bed, his head nearly blew off his shoulders in anger. He fumbled his words, demanding answers and yelling at anyone who would listen. When he tried to get Dean forcefully removed from the room by the guards standing outside, Castiel finally spoke up.

“I know this isn’t a great situation, dad, but if you don’t _mind_ , I’d rather not die while you run around spouting sexist bullshit. I’m sorry you don’t like that I’m an omega now, but it’s happened and we can’t change it. Dean doesn’t deserve to die either, just because fate put us together.”

Mr. Novak turned to his son, outrage on his face. “No son of mine will be an omega!”

“Then I guess I’m not your son.”

“You still live under my roof. My rules.”

Castiel rolled his eyes. “Put a sock in it, dad. I’m eighteen… and at this point, I’m kind of stuck living with Dean because of this whole mates thing. So I guess you’re out of a free in-home babysitter and can be on your way.”

He pointed an angry finger at Dean. “You’ll live to regret this.”

Dean was apparently not paying attention, as he rested on the bed and lazily watched the morning soap opera playing on the nearby television. When he glanced over at Mr. Novak, he snorted. “Don’t worry, I already do. Have you even met Cas? He’s kind of a dick.”

Cas smacked him, watching as his father huffed and stormed out of the room, leaving them alone once more. Sam had left at some point during the arguing, muttering something about breakfast and coffee.

It was the first time they were alone, and Castiel couldn’t help but wiggle with unease at the way his body was reacting to Dean being pressed up against him. He really did _not_ want to get a boner in the hospital room… as soon as he did, it would probably be time for the nurses to check his vitals again.

“Shit,” Dean mumbled, head resting on Cas’ shoulder. “We’re gonna have to find a place of our own. I doubt Uncle Bobby is going to want to hear our noises.”

“What noises?” he shook his head. “There will be _no_ noises. Just because I’m letting your smelly ass cuddle me, doesn’t mean I’m going to have sex with you.”

“Biology says differently.”

“Well, fuck biology. I always did hate that subject in school.”

* * *

He was released from the hospital the next day, and got to meet Sam and Dean’s uncle for the first time, when the old man stopped by to pick them up.

“I’ve been out fixin’ up the cabin for y’all,” Bobby stated, glancing in the rearview mirror to where Dean and Castiel sat in the back of the car. “Figured you’d need a spot. Had some buddies fix it up, finish the plumbin’, and it’ll be as good a spot as any for the time being.”

Castiel glared at Dean, because he was still _adament_ that they didn’t need privacy. But apparently Dean’s family had other plans. “We’re perfectly okay staying at the main house—”

“Nonsense.” Bobby chuckled. “There is a reason the basement room where Dean handles his ruts is soundproof. Sam and I can do without hearing that.” The blinker flicked on, and they headed down the road that led to Bobby’s house. “Plus, Dean is due next week for his rut. Might be early with the mating thing.”

Instead of turning down the main driveway, they went past another half a mile, before turning down another dirt road.

“Shouldn’t I pack a bag of stuff?” Dean asked.

“Already handled it. And Mr. Novak was gracious enough to let us get some of Cas’ things too.”

Castiel snorted. “I have a hard time believing that.”

“He was _persuaded._ ”

He wasn’t going to ask what that meant. As the car rolled to a stop in front of a well-maintained hunting cabin, Cas felt his brows knitting together in another frown. “You promise there’s running water?”

“She’s bigger on the inside.”

Dean was already hopping out of the backseat, but Castiel fought the urge to follow. It was like half of his body was tugging at him, wanting him to follow his alpha obediently.

The other half wanted to grab onto Sam and beg him to come too. _’Don’t leave me aloneeee with him.’_

His door opened, and he turned to see Dean leaning against the door staring at him. “You can’t live in the car, Castiel.”

“I could try.”

Sam turned in the front seat, looking over the leather to catch Cas’ gaze. “He’s really not that bad.”

“You could come too—”

“ _Castiel,_ ” Dean growled... and there was something _extra_ in the way he said it. Something about the sound that immediately had Castiel obeying and climbing out of the car. Once he realized what Dean had done, he shoved at the other man’s shoulders.

“Don’t do that! I’m not your pet... you can’t just _order_ me around.”

“Sorry, but seriously, dude? I’m not going to attack you. I’m not going to do _anything_ without your consent. But if we aren’t staying in the same place, we’re both going to get miserably sick, and do you really want that?” When Cas reluctantly shook his head, Dean gave a wave to Bobby and Sam and moved towards the front door of the cabin.

Castiel followed, slowly, giving one last look at the car as it pulled away. “What are we supposed to do if we need to leave?”

“I’ll walk across to Bobby’s tomorrow and pick up my car.”

The inside of the cabin was definitely a lot nicer than he expected. The main room housed a small kitchen and a living room with an outdated television. Off of the main room, he could see a small bedroom and a separate bathroom. He opened his mouth, about ready to say something about how Dean could sleep on the sofa, but he knew that his body wouldn’t allow that for long. Instead, he walked towards where his suitcase was sitting on the bed and opened it, happy to see his laptop laying on top of his clothes.

“Were you planning college?” Dean asked, leaning against the doorframe of the bedroom. “You seem like the college type.”

He felt an itchiness under his skin, as he put his suitcase on the floor and snuggled back to the headboard of the bed. “No. Dad wouldn’t let me apply. Wanted me to be close to home to help with the siblings.”

“Funny, I think Sammy would have applied anyways, if he was told that.” The room grew quiet, until finally Dean turned back to the kitchen. “I’m gonna find food.”

* * *

The next forty-eight hours were some of the oddest of Castiel’s life. When he tried to go back to school to finish the last month of his degree, he was told it wasn’t necessary for an _omega_ to finish. Which was bullshit, but it sounded like his father had gotten to the principal and poisoned his brain. It was okay, thankfully, since he had enough credits to demand his degree anyways, but the fact that they were denying him because of his new _designation_ made him angry.

The other oddity was the fact that, despite the fact that he expected Dean to want _something_ , the other man had taken to sleeping on the sofa. It was so against all of Castiel’s expectations, that he was too shocked to be thankful.

In fact, he kind of felt... rejected?

It didn’t help that Dean was back to working, and had even gone out to get an additional job now that he was _mated_ and could show his face out in the real world without the fear of being murdered in cold blood.

So, Castiel was stuck in a small cabin with nothing to do but play on the shitty Wi-Fi signal and contemplate what he was going to do for the rest of his life. He had, at one point, had dreams of sneaking out of his father’s house once he graduated and just running away... exploring the world that he had been denied thanks to his sheltered life.

He doubted his alpha would be okay with that. Dean seemed like the homebody type; the put-down-roots and stay forever type.

White picket fence, wrap around porch, two point five kids...

Castiel shook his head — he wasn’t going to go there. _Ever._

There was a knock at the door, breaking him out of his thoughts, “Come in!” he hollered, not bothering to get up from his spot on the couch.

The door opened a moment later and Sam entered. “Hey.”

Great, even Sam was treating him different? “Hi Sam.”

"Dean said he’d be home late, wanted me to check on you and see if you wanted to go out to eat. I was hoping you might want to help me with some of my calculus homework?”

His first instinct, for some reason, was to make up an excuse, but then he couldn’t figure out why he would want to do that. Sam was his friend, and Cas needed to get out of the house. But maybe that was the problem... the one time he had ventured out, since arriving home from the hospital, he had dealt with the drama at the school and that had been absolutely miserable. Maybe he expected every future interaction outside of his new home to include hate and disgust.

"Okay," he finally answered. "Can we go somewhere quiet, though?"

Thankfully Sam was wise beyond his years, and he obviously understood how Castiel was feeling. To be fair, if anyone understood the way people reacted to the ones around an alpha, it was Sam. His whole life had been impacted by the fact that he had an alpha brother. And where was the justice in that?

They took one of Bobby's beat-up junker cars and drove through town to an old Chinese restaurant that didn't get a lot of action during the week. In fact, the place was empty except for two other tables. They found a corner booth and slid into the middle next to each other so that Castiel could look over the homework pages that Sam had brought. They had just ordered their food (pork chow mein for Sam... General Tso's for Cas) when a ruckus brought their attention to the front door of the restaurant.

And, in a scene that Castiel couldn't have come up with in his worst nightmares, they watched as a group from the high school walked in — with Kevin and Adam leading the pack.

" _Fuck_ ," Castiel hissed under his breath, trying to lower himself farther into the booth. Hiding under the table was perfectly normal, right? Why was he sweating? What was that smell?

"Cas," Sam growled, "Calm down. You're putting out a distress scent so strong that even I can smell it."

Of fucking _course_ he was. Because it wasn't enough that he could now breed babies... he also had to worry about stinking up the joint whenever he got nervous. Should've fucking stayed home...

"Castiel?" A voice questioned, moving closer. "Holy shit, it is!"

Soon the group of boys were standing there in front of their table and amused. It was Kevin, of course, that spoke up first, "I'm surprised Mr. Alpha let the town bitch out on his own. Or does Sammy here share custody? Keeps your holes filled while Alpha is busy?"

Sam growled, sliding out of the booth in a rush and curling his fingers into Kevin's shirt. It happened so quickly that the entire group seemed to freeze. When Sam spoke, Castiel couldn't believe it... but he sounded exactly like Dean had sounded when he used his alpha voice. "Listen, _Kevin_ , I'm done with your bullshit. I don't think you realize exactly what I'm capable of. I grew up with an alpha... and he wasn't _letting_ me win, all of the times that I kicked his ass during sparring. When your brother is capable of killing you if he goes into a blind rage, you learn to defend yourself. So you and your little _gang_ of misfit toys, need to back the fuck off before I make you all bleed."

There was no way that was going to work, Cas couldn't help but think to himself. There was a large group there — greatly outnumbering anything that Sam could attempt. But at the same time, there was something about that _voice_ that promoted fear. And it was apparently that fact that had Kevin huffing, sending one last glare their direction before turning and leaving to the far side of the restaurant. Sam wasn't done, though, because instead of sitting back down at the table, he walked over to the door to the kitchen and peeked his head in. When he came back a couple minutes later, he was carrying a bag filled with take out containers.

"I got them to box up our food and already paid. Let's get out of here, yeah?"

Castiel quickly nodded his head, hurrying to pack up Sam's homework for him and following him out the door. Instead of going towards where the car was parked, they crossed the street and headed for a small neighborhood park. Castiel had to ask, "How did you do that? With the alpha voice?"

"Syntax blended with the proper emotions." Sam sat down at a park bench and began unloading their dinner boxes. "Dean taught me. You have to use the right tone, the right words, and make sure you're embracing the proper emotion. I swore to only use my powers for good," he replied, snorting back a laugh.

Castiel hated himself. He hadn't felt normal since the mating occurred. He was beginning to think he was never going to feel 'normal' again. Part of him wanted to actually _cry_ after the earlier confrontation. The other part wanted to snuggle up to his alpha and feel protected. Both reactions were completely opposite of his normal attitude which would have punched Kevin in the nose.

He stared down at the box of chicken Sam slid in front of him and actually... felt tears start to slide down his face.

"Cas? What is it?"

"I hate this. I hate this feeling. It's like an underlying need to serve and submit, while also a volley of hormones wrecking my emotions. What even am I anymore? It isn't fair."

Sam nodded, using a pair of chopsticks to poke at his food. After a moment, he looked up to meet Castiel's gaze. "You know, statistically, most alphas either mate or die by the age of eighteen? They have a hard time controlling their rut, and most don't have a family strong enough to keep them pinned down for the entire week. When Dean found out that he was an alpha... even before dad dropped us off on Bobby's doorstep, he was contemplating ways to prevent his rut. Researching solutions, testing theories. When he saw Bobby's panic room, he immediately started work on making sure it was alpha-proof."

"And?"

"My point is, Dean doesn't _want_ to be one of those typical knotheads. He never wanted to mate. At the very least, he wanted to wait until he had gotten to know the person, maybe dated them a while. So if anyone hates this whole mess as much as you do, it's Dean. Granted, his life isn't really changing because of it... but imagine the guilt he must feel. Knowing that one sniff of his scent was enough to completely change your life."

Sam wasn't really helping with improving Cas' mood. Now he just felt shitty for treating Dean so badly. "I guess that explains why he hasn't touched me, and he always sleeps on the sofa."


	6. Chapter 6

That evening when Castiel finally arrived back at the cabin, he took out a pen and paper and made out a list of things that he needed to discuss with Dean. If they were going to be stuck together for all of eternity, they definitely had to sort out what they were going to do with their lives. Because there was absolutely no way Cas was going to stay cooped up in that stupid cabin forever.

When Dean arrived home, Cas was waiting at the table with his laptop queued up, watching the other man with interest as he walked in and looked around. Castiel, in his boredom, had spent the earlier part of the day rearranging furniture. Moving the couch, changing out the old television for a newer version, finding a faraway land to send the old orange shag carpet to. "There's leftover take-out in the fridge, if you're hungry," he mused.

Dean happily moved past him, going to the fridge and pulling out the container, before grabbing a fork and a beer and sitting down at the table across from Cas. "You a chow mein guy too, or is this Sammy's?"

"Sam's. Mine is in the other container." He took another quick glance at his screen, before shutting the laptop and folding his hands on the table before him. "We need to talk."

"I figured. You know if you leave, we'll get sick again. Not saying I'm gonna force you to stay but—"

"This isn't about that.”

“No?”

Castiel took a deep breath. “I want to know where we’re going from here.” He motioned around the room. “I don’t want to stay in your uncle’s cabin forever, Dean. And if we’re stuck together now, we need to come up with a plan for our future.”

With an open mouth and a bite of chow mein held mid air on his fork, Dean looked up at him in a bit of shock. “You… want to stay with me? And think about a future?”

“Are you kidding? If I leave I die!” Castiel rolled his eyes. “Of course I want to fucking stay. What choice do I have?”

He missed the way Dean’s face changed, but a moment later the alpha was dropping his fork back into the take-out container and standing up with his beer. “I’m working on an apartment in town. Close to the community college in case you want to take classes. It’s vacant in a month, and the landlord owes me a favor after I fixed her totalled car.”

“I—”

Grabbing his jacket, Dean stepped back to the door. “I’ll be at Bobby’s.”

Castiel opened his mouth to ask why his mate was in such a rush to leave, but was cut off by the slamming of the door. _Huh._

* * *

Dean didn’t return that night, and Castiel didn’t see him the next day… or next evening. By day two, the itchy feeling under his skin was bad enough to be incessant. Not to mention the heat that had started permeate the cabin and wouldn’t leave no matter how many windows he opened for fans he turned on.

On the third morning he woke up sweating, agony racing down his spine and a _longing_ making him sick to his stomach. He rolled in bed, searching for something… _anything_ and whimpering aloud when he couldn’t find it. 

_**Mate,**_ a voice whispered in his head. 

Yes! He needed his mate! He needed _Dean._

The trip into the kitchen where he’d left his phone charging felt like it took hours. He literally, at one point, had to crawl on his hands and knees to get there. When he finally had his phone, he searched with fumbling hands for Dean’s number that he could distinctly remember inputting onto the device, even if it seemed to have disappeared.

Finally, he found it, and with a triumphant groan, he pushed the call button and held the phone up to his ear. 

Unfortunately, instead of ringing, the device went straight to voicemail. 

No. No. No. No no no no no no.

 _No!_

His alpha had deserted him.

 _Weak little bitch, not even good enough to keep an alpha,_ a dark voice whispered.

Taking a deep breath, trying to ease his emotions, Castiel caught the scent of his mate and instantly perked up. His eyes went immediately to the sofa where Dean had been spending his nights sleeping. Without any sign of the earlier weakness, he was suddenly on his feet and rushing across the room to the couch. As soon as he fell onto the soft cushions, he was grabbing the blanket off of the back and wrapping it around himself.

The scent was dark and musky and just… _perfect._

He must have fallen asleep there, wrapped up in the blanket like a burrito, because the next thing he knew, he was blinking his eyes open and staring into Sam’s worried face.

“You okay? You look like shit?”

The fact that Sam was there, but Dean wasn’t, sent panic racing down his spine. He sat up in a rush, completely ignoring the lightheadedness that resulted from the movement. “Dean!” he croaked. “Where is Dean? Is he alright?”

“Yeah, dude,” Sam replied, reaching out to rest his hand against Cas’ forehead like he was trying to check his temperature. “He went into rut yesterday and locked himself in the panic room. Didn’t tell Bobby or I, so we didn’t realize it until we heard him hollering a couple hours ago. Bobby said I should come check on you, bring you some food.” He motioned across the room, to where a casserole platter sat on the table.

Castiel didn’t notice. Didn’t care. He shrank in on himself, the loneliness suddenly exchanged for abandonment. He was an unacceptable mate, not good enough for his alpha. Unlovable. Un _breed_ able. 

_**Rejected.** _

“Cas?”

He sat motionless on the sofa, completely withdrawn. He didn’t notice the panic on Sam’s face, the sobs wracking his own body, or the voice calling his name.

* * *

“Is it like before?”

“No. He didn’t act like he was sick, when I got here. And now it’s like he’s there… but he’s _not._ I thought moving him here to the main house would help—-”

“Well, if we pile any more of Dean’s clothes or blankets on him, he’s going to die of heat stroke.”

“It’s like the scent isn’t helping. That’s what I mean, Bobby, I don’t think this is like before at all.”

“Maybe it’s a reaction to Dean’s rut. I just went and checked on him and he beat the door so hard his hands were bleeding. It’s like he knows Castiel is up here. Why didn’t the boy just stay with his mate? Wasn’t that the point in all of this?”

“You know Dean. Apparently he’s been sleeping on the couch. If he won’t even sleep next to Cas at night, why would he put him through the consent issues surrounding a rut?”

“‘Fraid he may have made matters worse.”

* * *

He sat in a meadow, watching the breeze blow at the plants around him. It was peaceful, the hint of pine in the air.

Except something was wrong.

It was too cold. 

He looked around, watching as frost began to creep up each individual blade of grass, slowly inching across the wide expanse of green towards where he sat.

_No._

It was sunny… frost couldn’t survive with a warm sun bearing down on it. He looked up into the bright light of the sun… only to see the darkness of clouds covering the sky, looking angry with a storm.

The gentle breeze was suddenly replaced by a chilling air that had him wanting to stand and go inside. 

Unfortunately the frost was creeping up his legs and he couldn’t move. 

_No!_

Bright green was now almost completely white, and the clouds were dark as night.

He screamed, but there was no one there to listen.

He was alone. Forgotten.

Cast out… for his own weakness.


	7. Chapter 7

\--- **Interlude: Dean** \---

* * *

Dean could always tell when he was reaching the last day of his rut. For some reason, on the final morning, he always woke up feeling lucid and retrospective. He _hated_ it. 

Especially now that he was mated. Because suddenly the thoughts went from pinning down a needy omega… to his past dreams of finding the perfect mate.

When he first presented, he was too young and stupid to know what it meant to be an alpha. It was only when he was eighteen and had a few ruts under his belt, that he started wondering about the future.

He always imagined waves of cherry-red hair. The most beautiful smile on the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She wouldn’t be preppy and annoying, either, but would know Star Wars trivia and how to change the oil in the car. When he fucked up, she would be there laughing at him and telling him what he should have done instead.

They’d date, like normal people. Hang out in crowded restaurants but only see each other; make out in the back row of a dark movie theater, or the backseat of his car on a deserted dirt road somewhere.

He wouldn’t let it go farther than that though. _’You’re too precious to me. I want our first time to be special.’_

She’d call him a dork with too many feelings, but smile that secret smile that meant she was pleased.

He could imagine the nervous feeling settling in his stomach the first time he looked at rings. Because he wanted to marry her, yes, but he didn’t have the right to ask someone to be turned for him. He’d buy the ring and hide it away, too stressed about asking to carry it around in his pocket.

In the end, it’d be her. Not in the heat of the moment; nor with the fear of weakness. But just her, wearing torn up jean shorts on a dusty summer day, watching curiously as he changed an alternator. And then… _’I think we should mate. I’m ready now.’_

….

…… No. No. No.

He wasn’t that fucking lucky.

Instead it was a goddamn bar, like his worst nightmare. And a poor kid that didn’t even fucking _like_ him, but was now stuck with him forever.

He suddenly felt completely drained, weakness pushing him back onto the lone bed in the room. Longing and desire was suddenly exchanged for the emptiness that always followed a rut. Except, instead of the empty ‘I don’t have a mate’ feeling, it was more a sickening twist in his stomach because he _did_ have a mate, but the mate didn’t want him.

There was a loud creaking of metal and steel and Dean lifted his head to watch as the panic room door slid open. Sam stood on the other side, holding a tray with a large glass of milk and what looked like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Struggling to make his limbs work, Dean forced himself to sit up and gratefully took the tray from his brother. He tackled the milk first, chugging it down quickly, happily replenishing lost vitamins from the days before. 

He was just setting the glass down and reaching for the sandwich, when Sam spoke, “Something is wrong with Cas.”

His alpha was too weak to immediately respond, so Dean took a couple of bites of his sandwich, before looking up at his brother. “And?”

“I think it’s related to your rut. The timeframe matches up. He’s pretty much catatonic… Bobby wanted to take him to the hospital for an IV and shit, before we realized today was your last day. He needs you, Dean.”

Dean sighed, realizing that once more he was ruining the poor kids life. “Has Bobby found any research on separating the bond?”

Anger and frustration flared on Sam’s face. “No. And I think it’s time you realize that he isn’t _going_ to. It’s a true bond, Dean. You need to get over your fucking self and treat your mate like he deserves. Cas is my friend, and I would hazard a guess that at this point, his omega feels good and truly _rejected._ What were you thinking, going through a rut without him? It’s not just about you anymore, Dean! He’s going to react to everything that happens to you.”

Dean tossed the tray and half-eaten sandwich onto the bed beside him. “I wasn’t going to _force_ myself onto him, Sam! I mean… just before he was talking about how if he was going to be _stuck_ with me forever, then shit had to change. He doesn’t want this. Any of it. And anything beyond that is fucking rape and I won’t!”

Sam rolled his eyes. “Did you ever fucking consider talking to him? Telling him your rut was due and asking if he agreed to participate? It’s hard to fucking gain consent without even _trying._ ”

He pouted, face down. He hadn’t considered that. He was shit at talking to people on the best of days, let alone when his alpha was being such a dick about wanting it’s mate.

“Come on. You’re going upstairs and you’re going to _fix_ Cas. Then Bobby and I are locking you in the cabin until you both get your shit together.”

“I didn’t even get to finish my sandwich—”

“Bring it with you, shithead!”

* * *

Dean locked the bedroom door, before stripping down to his boxers and undershirt and laying down in the bed next to Castiel. Sam, of course, hadn’t allowed him the chance to shower, so he still smelled like rut and desire.

Carefully, gently, he unwrapped Castiel from the cocoon of blankets. Then, he reached up, laying his hand on Castiel’s cheek and turning his head to face Dean’s. Sam had said it was unclear whether Cas was sleeping or just laying there with his eyes closed, but as Dean looked over the peaceful expression on his mate’s face, he couldn’t help but long to see those piercing blue eyes.

“You wanna know the ironic thing?” Dean whispered. “I never, _ever_ , envisioned my omega being male. I’ve never even…” He frowned, realizing that his thumb was brushing gently along Castiel’s face. “I’ve never even been with a guy. Too concerned with chasing pretty girls, I suppose. And to be fair… you’re very pretty for a dude. But I’m so worried I’m going to fuck shit up… that I keep fucking shit up and how is that even possible?”

“Fuckin’ alpha brain,” his mate whispered.

Dean felt his heart race as he watched those pretty blue eyes suddenly appear. There was no sparkle, though… just empty sadness and the scent of rejection. “I’m sorry,” Dean immediately stated. “I thought I was protecting you by avoiding you through my rut. I didn’t wanna…” He choked on the words and looked away. “I didn’t want to force myself on you.”

Cas snorted, rolling his head back so that he was looking up at the ceiling again. “Future reference… I think I’d rather have not quite consensual sex, than deal with the maddening feelings I just went through.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You said that.”

“Cas—”

His mate turned to face him once more, and quickly shook his head. “No. It’s my turn to talk. You’re so worried about my consent, but you never give me a chance to provide it. I get that you didn’t want me as a mate — lord knows I didn’t want you — but fate has put us together and there is no backing out. Your decisions will now forever have an impact on me, and if you’re so fucking worried about my opinion on that then fucking _ask me._ I told you the other day that I’m in this now and we have to figure out our future. And you responded by pulling this shit?”

Dean avoided his gaze, feeling that last-day-of-rut sadness leaking into his emotions. “I wanted someone to choose me,” he whispered, voice broken.

He expected a snide remark, but instead he felt his mate pressing up against him and tucking his head under Dean’s chin. Dean took a deep breath, letting the pleasing scent of the other man wash over him for a moment, before curling his arms around Castiel and happily relenting to the cuddle.


	8. Chapter 8

The next month went by quickly. They still didn’t _do_ anything, but Dean had gone from sleeping on the couch to actually laying in the bed next to him. Even if all they did was sleep, it felt like five steps forward to have the comfort of his mate there next to him while he slept. They moved into the apartment soon after that, and having their own space that could be decorated however they saw fit, also seemed to help.

Castiel began applying at jobs, but was starting to believe that everyone had a predetermined notion that his being an omega made him weak... which was stupid, considering he had just been a beta a few weeks before. Just. Like. Them.

In an effort to escape the apartment for a little while, Castiel took his laptop to a local café on a Tuesday morning and sat down to kill some time. He had taken to writing in his spare time, since he didn't have anything else to keep him busy, and having a bustling atmosphere around him seemed to make the words write themselves faster. He sat there through the morning rush and on into the lunch crowd. By about one, the place had emptied out and he was the only one occupying the space. He was just about to get up and buy a sandwich, when — like magic — a grilled cheese with a cup of tomato soup was placed onto the table next to him, as well as a refill on his cup of coffee. He looked up in surprise and watched as the older gentleman that owned the place sat down at the table across from him.

"Figured you might need a pick-me-up if you're gonna finish that novel you're working on," the guy said, taking a sip from his own cup.

Castiel had never really talked to the guy before — beyond the words needed to order his favorite mocha — but the man seemed friendly enough. Maybe it was the salt and pepper beard...

"I'm Cain, by the way," the man spoke, eyes watching Cas over the rim of his cup. "You're the kid that got accidentally turned into an O, right?"

" _Castiel._ " Nowadays when he said his name, it generally came out with a bit of a bite to it, because he was more than his new fucking designation and people needed to realize that.

"My daughter is an omega. Son, I get what you're going through. I'm guessing these podunk assholes won't give you the time of day now that you have reproductive organs, eh? It was the same for Maddy. She finally got fed up with their bullshit and moved to the city. People don't care much that you're an omega up there."

Castiel looked up, surprised by the man's words. "What about her alpha?"

"Drunk asshole that didn't heed his new father-in-law's words of wisdom. He met an untimely _end_ after the second time Maddy came to me with bruises."

Holy shit. Finally someone that stood up for omegas. He grabbed his sandwich and dipped the corner in soup before taking a bite. Once he had chewed and swallowed, he used his free hand to pull back his collar and show his blemish free neck. "Dean didn't bite me. It was a fluke... scent match. If he dies, I die."

Cain nodded, stroking a thumb and forefinger along his beard. “Is he good to you? Because things can still be done to stir change, if not.”

It was amazing, because Castiel didn’t know this guy from any other regular Joe on the street, but there was a sincerity to his words that couldn’t be faked. When he spoke about putting Dean in his place if he hurt Cas, Castiel could tell that he obviously meant his words. “Dean isn’t bad. Probably one of the better alphas out there, considering we’ve been mated for almost three months and haven’t even kissed.”

“You’re shitting me.”

Cas shook his head and closed his laptop so he could focus on his sandwich. “He even locked himself up during his rut last month so he didn’t force me into anything I didn’t want.” 

Cain looked utterly shocked. “That doesn’t… they don’t… is he not into you?”

“To be honest? I have no idea. He likes my scent, but that’s a genetics things.”

“Maybe he’s not into men.”

“I—” Castiel frowned, words cutting off as he thought about the first time he had met Dean. About the way the alpha had tried schmoozing a pretty girl with no luck. He honestly had no proof that Dean _was_ into guys, which explained a lot about the fact that Dean had locked himself away instead of wanting to be with Cas during his rut. 

_Fuck._

“I have to go… I should get home. How much do I owe you for the sandwich?”

Cain shook his head, “On the house this time. Stop by later in the week and we’ll discuss a job, eh? I could use some help during the busy hours.”

* * *

He thought about going to Sam and asking. _’Is Dean even into guys?’_ But it seemed stupid and petulant. It no longer mattered, now that they were mated for life. If Dean wasn’t before, he had to be now. 

Unless he started getting his kicks off somewhere else. Could mated alphas do that? He had always heard whispers about how mates couldn’t get off with anyone else, but he didn’t have proof that it was a real thing. Maybe Dean already had a girl on the side. Maybe it was _easier_ now that he didn’t have to worry about his rut causing issues. He couldn’t turn anyone else, and he definitely would only want his omega during his rut. 

But who he wanted every other day was a mystery.

Castiel shook off the thoughts as he worked relentlessly to clean their small kitchen. It was nearing ten p.m. and Dean still hadn’t come home. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that it was always the same. Dean supposedly worked an eight to five job for his uncle… so why was he never home before dark? Why hadn’t Castiel bothered to notice the discrepancy before Cain’s observation?

He slammed the door shut on the dishwasher a little too hard, and moved out of the kitchen to go into the small bedroom and strip down to his boxers for a shower. Maybe the heat would relax him enough to get some sleep.

He forgot to bring a fresh set of clothes into the bathroom with him, so he stepped back out with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, water droplets still falling from his hair onto his bare back and chest. It was at that very moment that the front door opened, causing Castiel to freeze and watch as his alpha stepped inside. The door shut behind him, keys clanking into a bowl set on a small table. When Dean looked up, his attention immediately when to Castiel and he growled slightly under his breath when he noticed the bare skin before him.

Since Dean spent most of his time being _not there_ , even changing clothes generally happened when Cas was the only one in the apartment. 

The distance between them was quickly erased as Dean was suddenly right there, pressing Cas back against the wall as his hands rested on opposite sides of his head, arms boxing him in and keeping him from moving. “Cas,” Dean whispered, the name rolling off of his tongue as easily as a breath.

And Cas was so ready to give in… so ready to say yes to his new omega nature. Drop to the floor and present for his alpha like the best of mates. He leaned forward, nose finding the juncture of Dean’s neck and breathing in the familiar scent. 

Then his eyes blinked back open and suddenly he was staring at a cherry red lipstick stain on the collar of Dean’s shirt. His stomach dropped and he shoved Dean back without a second thought. 

Scent. Chemicals in the brain. That was the only thing driving Dean’s need for him. Actual lust and desire? Hah… _nope._ One too many extra appendages for that to be a thing. “Shoulda spent the night at her house,” he growled, moving to the bedroom. “What’s the point in faking anymore?” He quietly shut the bedroom door behind him and made sure that the lock sounded loud enough for Dean to hear.

Despite it all, his dick was still half hard under his towel, but the thought of doing anything about it made him physically sick. 

His dick was the whole reason why his alpha didn’t find him good enough. He had half a mind to cut the thing off… maybe then his alpha would want him. Maybe with a few short skirts, some silky lingerie and rosey blush on his cheeks…

_I could be pretty for you, Dean._

He got into the bed naked, curling the blankets protectively around his body and fighting back the tears and the voices of his inner omega.

Just because he had a dick, didn’t make him a bad mate. His stupid bitch of an omega could just shut the fuck up already.


	9. Chapter 9

\--- **Interlude: Dean** \---

* * *

He stared at his reflection in the mirror and realized exactly why he was a fucking idiot.

To make some extra cash — since Cas was having a hard time finding work and they suddenly had real bills to pay — he had taken to bartending at night for a few hours at a friends bar. Cas hadn’t asked where he was, and Dean had been so ridiculously worn out from working fifteen to sixteen hour days, that he hadn’t had the time for sit down chats with his mate.

He had the next two days off though, and when he had walked into their home, to the sight of a mostly naked Cas, he had heat and desire rushing directly to his cock. Putting off being with his mate… keeping his alpha reined in while sleeping _right_ beside Cas, was pure torture. He woke up every morning to a hard cock and a half swollen knot. Add onto that the fact that suddenly Castiel had the beginning scents of _heat_ drifting off of his skin, and that their apartment was well and truly nest worthy… could Dean really be blamed for immediately wanting to sink into his mate when he saw the other man literally _dripping_ wet?

And things were going so well… he was just about to lay a gentle finger under Castiel’s chin… lean forward and capture those pouty lips in a kiss…

When suddenly his mate was shoving him away and growling out something about a woman, before locking himself in their bedroom.

Now, staring at his own reflection, Dean saw exactly why Cas had gotten angry. They had hosted a bachelorette party that evening, and the maid-of-honor had been more than a little inappropriately handsy. When he had gone to the backroom to get another case of Jack, she had cornered him against the wall and started kissing along his neck, fingers trailing over the front of his jeans.

His body hadn’t so much as twitched. In fact, his alpha had gotten a little angry about the whole mess and almost bit her hand off. _Taken!_ a voice had screamed in his head. 

He had politely told the girl that he wasn’t interested and that he was, in fact, in a committed relationship. She had gotten very upset, pouting all the way back to her table of friends and refusing to look at anyone the rest of the evening. Not that he was really paying attention. After he turned her down, his brain was occupied with thoughts of how he had so easily done so. Before Castiel, he would have been taking an early break and fucking her in the storage room. After Castiel? Why would he want a perky blonde with big boobs, when he had a hot guy with dark hair and sparkling blue eyes waiting for him at home?

Except he had fucked that up. Again. He peeled off the clothes he was wearing and quickly took a shower, making sure he didn’t smell like anything but himself and the cheap soap they had. Once he was clean, he wrapped his own towel around his waist and went into the kitchen to their junk drawer. He messed around in the drawer for a bit, before finding what he was looking for and going back to the bedroom door. It didn’t take any time at all to pop the lock on the bedroom door, and he pushed it in and walked inside the darkened room. It had been about thirty minutes since Castiel locked himself away, but Dean had a feeling his mate was still awake.

He flipped the light on, ignoring the growl of anger coming from the bed, and walked over to sit on the edge of the mattress on his side. “I got a second job at a bar,” he said without hesitation. “It’s getting slow at Bobby’s and I wanted to make sure I had enough cash to cover our bills. Did you know electricity is like seventy a month? Fucking outrageous.”

His back was to Cas, but he could feel the other man moving, maybe sitting up in the bed behind him. Dean continued with his explanation, “There was a group of women at the bar tonight. Bachelorette party. One of them got handsy, cornered me in the hallway and started kissing me before I could shove her away. I told her I was happily taken and she looked like she wanted to slap me.”

“You—” Cas sounded confused. “You got another job?”

Dean turned to look at him over his shoulder, ignoring the shiver that he felt running down his spine at the sight of all of that perfectly tan skin. “I know people in town have been giving you shit about work. And you won’t be able to get into school for another two months, when the next semester hits—”

“You got another job.”

“I have to provide for my family.” He watched the word family flutter over Castiel’s lips, even though he didn’t say it out loud. Dean smiled, ducking his head bashfully. “I know it’s all fucked, Cas. I’m sorry that it is. But I’m in this. I’m here to make it work… not to avoid you and sleep with women on the side.”

“But you never expected a male mate…”

“You’re right, I didn’t. But that mostly just means that…” He rubbed nervously at the back of his neck, letting his voice get a little soft and whispery as he admitted, “I have no idea how to please you.” The room grew exceptionally quiet, and Dean brought his hands to his lap, staring at them as his nervous stomach started to take over. Then… he heard laughter coming from the man behind him. _Hey. It wasn’t supposed to be funny!_ He turned, ready to get upset at being mocked, but the anger dissipated quickly when he saw the happy look on his mates face. A look that he hadn’t seen much of while they were together. “Why is that funny?”

Castiel apparently couldn't help but to chuckle again. Dean tried to frown but there was something incredibly endearing about that laugh. He reached out, arm stretching across the space between them, hand cupping Cas' cheek, thumb brushing over the corner of those smiling lips. His heart swelled and his alpha purred... okay, maybe he purred out loud, because suddenly Castiel was blushing and leaning into the touch.

Okay, now his alpha was _really_ happy. "Cas," he breathed, leaning forward. He moved to kiss his mate, before pausing suddenly, leaning his forehead against Castiel's. "I want to kiss you," he whispered. "But only if that's what you want."

Castiel blinked, blue eyes looking heavy and a bit dazed. "You're a saint when it comes to getting consent, aren't you?"

"I don't want to hurt you," his thumb brushed over Castiel's bottom lip. "Never want to hurt you again."

His mate shivered against him. Dean bit back another happy alpha sound. He held Castiel’s gaze for another moment, before glancing quickly down to his lips and back up again. Then, there in those blue eyes, he saw agreement along with the want and need. Without waiting another moment, he tilted his head and happily, for the first time, let his lips meet his mate’s. It wasn’t an earth shattering kiss, but between the mateship connection and the fact that he had been wanting it for a _while_ , it had to be the best kiss of his life. 

He moved back, ready to ask if Cas was still okay, only to see the happily dazed look in his eyes. Dean smiled, leaning in to brush his lips against the corner of Cas’ mouth. Castiel chased his lips and soon they were making out — tongues and tasting, breathes intermixing. Dean leaned forward, following Cas’ body back onto the mattress. As Castiel relaxed back on the pillow, Dean began trailing kisses down his neck until he was nuzzling the spot where his mate’s scent was strongest.

“Dean,” Cas spoke, his body wiggling a bit beneath Dean’s. “I don’t know where you had planned on this going, but my new _designation_ comes with a few issues that you should help with.”

With a frown, he pulled back. “Huh?”

Sparkling blue eyes rolled in exasperation, as Castiel grabbed one of Dean’s hands and moved it beneath the sheet that covered the lower half of his body. Dean’s fingers brushed over the hard length of Castiel’s cock, before being pushed towards the dripping slick at his hole. “ _Do_ something,” Cas growled.

He didn’t need to be told twice (okay, well, three times). Two fingers circled gently once, and then twice, around his mate’s wet hole, before slowly pushing inside.

Dean wasn’t a virgin — he’d been with a few girls here and there when he knew that his rut couldn’t possibly show up — so he knew what it felt like to attribute all that dripping slick to how much his partner wanted him. But in that moment, with his actual fucking _mate_ , it was like his alpha was finding out for the very first time.

His alpha growled, a deep sound loud enough to echo in the room, and he quickly shoved the sheets aside, before bringing his fingers up to his mouth. As he licked away juices that tasted like ecstasy, his eyes roved back and forth along the expanse of his mate’s body. 

He was barely hanging on, his vision going red as his alpha tried to take control. “Roll over,” he managed. “I need… I _need_ to fuck you, and it’ll feel better if you’re on your hands and knees.” When Castiel let out a soft whimper, Dean caught his gaze, “Please, Cas.”

As soon as his mate’s ass was presented before him, Dean’s hold on his alpha diminished to the very last little string. _Don’t hurt_ , was getting harder to hear over the _mate, fuck, take, breed._ He found just enough sense and control to make sure that the first press of his alpha cock into Castiel’s awaiting heat, was slow and allowed his mate adjust.

He was pressed all the way inside for two beats of his heart, when he heard a soft, “I’m good,” and suddenly the alpha was in control. The pace was frenzied, his fingers digging into Cas’ hips as he rutted without hesitation. If he expected that he’d actually _last_ longer than five seconds, he was obviously a fucking idiot. Within the blink of an eye he felt his knot starting to catch and he draped himself over his mate’s body as he roller-coastered towards the end. 

As his knot finally swelled and his orgasm rushed through him, the red filled his gaze and his teeth found the spot on Castiel’s neck that tasted most like _mate_. He bit without hesitation, letting the coppery taste of his mate’s blood flood his mouth as his hips continued to gently rock back and forth, cock filling Cas’ womb with come.

* * *

Apparently he blacked out, because the next thing Dean knew, he was laying on his side, body wrapped tightly around his mate and knot still keeping them connected. He frowned at the sight of the lazy droplets of blood on Cas’ mating mark, and leaned forward to lick them away.

“Back with the land of the living?” Castiel asked, fingers dancing along Dean’s forearm.

“How long was I out?”

“I can’t see the clock, but I don’t know… ten minutes or so?”

Dean’s forehead dropped down to rest between Castiel’s shoulder blades. “I’m sorry — not really a great first time for you, when I alpha out and don’t even consider making sure you get off too.”

His mate snorted, “Don’t worry about it. I uh… I actually might have come on your cock alone?”

“No way—”

“What can I say? Having a knot swell against your prostate doesn’t leave you very many options.”

Dean purred, licking at the bite one more time. “Well I’m glad you enjoyed, then.”


	10. Chapter 10

A week later, Dean’s rut and Castiel’s heat hit at the same time, leaving them homebound for four long days of sweaty, sticky sex. When they were finally able to go a few hours without ripping each other’s clothes off, Dean went back to work and Cas called Cain at the coffee shop — scheduling some hours for the following week — before beginning to tackle the enormous pile of laundry they now had.

Sometime in the afternoon, there was a knock on the door and Cas opened it immediately when he saw Sam’s face through the window. “Hey Sam… long time no see.”

Sam shrugged, carrying his backpack into the small dining area and sitting down at the table. “Not like I was going to come last week. Dean texted and warned me to stay away. Probably a lot of shit I didn’t want to see.”

Cas grabbed a couple of sodas from the fridge and sat down across from Sam. “I never realized how messy being an omega is. The smallest little thing and I’m forced to change my boxers—”

“ _Gross._ ”

“Also, I got to thinking like… what happens if Dean has super sperm and I get knocked up right away?” He shuddered at the thought. “I’m not ready for that mess.”

“Statistically, male omegas take six to nine months before they’re able to conceive.” Sam pulled out a textbook and paper, and began slowly working on homework. “Takes a while for the body to change from being a beta to a fertile omega.”

“Of course you would know that.”

Sam rolled his eyes, “When your brother is an alpha, you do your research on secondary genders. And you learn weird shit… like how now you that you have that,” Sam pointed at the bite mark on Cas’ shoulder, “You’ll never find true pleasure with only a beta, ever again. Evolution has made sure that you will be loyal to your mate and produce offspring.”

“Is that why porn seems dull now?”

“ _Yup._ ”

“Shitty.”

* * *

That was the last time Castiel really got to hang out with Sam. Over the following weeks, Cas started his new job, which kept him busy, and he also spent most of his free time with Dean. He didn’t even realize it was happening, but a few months into their mateship, it was like Castiel and Dean had created a bubble around their lives, that nothing else really penetrated.

Which is why it was such a shock, to one day be wiping up a table and look out the front window of the cafe in time to see a dark haired chick standing across the street with Sam. It looked like the two were arguing, with Sam making gestures that showed he was begging for some kind of forgiveness. Then, Cas felt his jaw drop open as he watched the chick slap Sam’s face in anger. What the— Instead of getting angry back, though, Sam simply ducked his head and followed the girl to a nearby parked car.

Cas didn’t understand what he was seeing. He finished clearing the table, told Cain he’d be back in a minute, and went to the backroom to call Dean. His mate was off that day, so when he answered, he sounded like he’d been in the middle of a nap. “‘Ello?”

“Dean, hey. Have you talked to Sam lately?”

“Wha’?”

Completely literate when half asleep, as per usual. Castiel rolled his eyes. “Sam. Your brother. Have you talked to him in a while?”

“It’s been a few days. Talked to Bobby last week and he said the kid has been pretty busy with finals.”

“Uh huh. Well, I just saw him getting into a car with a dark-haired chick… right after she slapped him good across the face.”

That apparently got Dean’s attention. “What?! Sam? My Sam? Are you sure?”

“I’m pretty sure, Dean.”

“I’m going to text you a picture, tell me if this was the chick.”

He grunted his consent and waited for his phone to beep, before pulling it from his ear and checking the message Dean had sent. When he saw the picture, he brought the phone close again. “Yup, that’s her.”

“What the fuck is that dummy doing hanging out with Ruby again? I thought we were over this bullshit when she used him to try and get to me… force me into a rut so they could kill me.”

The thought alone had Castiel feeling a bit nauseous. “I’m going to call it a day here and head home. We gotta find Sam before he gets into more trouble.”

“I’ll come pick you up. Be there in ten.”

* * *

They went to Bobby’s first, to see if Dean’s uncle had any information on what was going on. The old man seemed equally as worried about the mention of Ruby being back in the picture, which wasn’t a good sign. It meant Sam was hiding things from everyone; keeping his own secrets and pulling away.

After Bobby’s house, they went to an address that Dean had found for Ruby’s family — the old man that answered the door, sneered at the sight of Dean. It wasn’t a surprise that her family was anti-Alpha, when she had practically tried murdering Dean before. Thankfully, all Dean had to do was shove the man up against the door and let the red sparkle at the edges of his eyes, in order to get information on the spot where Ruby and her crew went to hang out at in the woods.

So that was their next stop, and when Castiel saw the same car that Sam had gotten into earlier in the day, he pointed it out to his mate.

“Stay in the car,” Dean growled, all alpha power and authority. “These people don’t like me… I’m not going to find out what they’d think about my omega, okay?”

Castiel wanted to argue, but found himself nodding in agreement, instead. He watched from the front seat as Dean went up to the small hunting cabin and pushed inside without knocking. From that moment, Cas couldn’t really see what was going on, but he could hear screaming and the sounds of furniture crashing and glass breaking.

What seemed like hours, but was probably only a few minutes, passed… and Castiel watched as Dean walked out of the cabin with Sam pressed against him, one arm wrapped around Dean’s neck. Sam’s eyes were closed, and his face looked hollow. Apparently the distance of one town street had made Sam look a lot more normal than he actually did.

Dean put Sam into the backseat, and Cas stared at his friend, realizing that he was passed out. Once they were driving back down the dirt road, Castiel’s panicked eyes turned to Dean. “What’s wrong with him?”

“Some kind of drug. I didn’t stay long enough to ask questions.”

* * *

At the hospital, the doctor gave them the news. Sam’s stomach had been pumped after he ingested a large quantity of a new drug that the kids were pushing in local schools. _’It’s supposed to be a harmless memory enhancer in small doses, but kids have begun to abuse the high, like they always do.’_ Despite Dean and Bobby’s arguments that Sam had never been a kid to get caught up in drugs… the proof was laying right there on the hospital bed before them.

Unfortunately, if there were two folks completely unprepared for dealing with a teenager going through both drug withdrawal and the emotional fallout of a drug overdose… it was Bobby Singer and Dean Winchester. The two bickered in the hospital hallway about what should happen next with Sam’s care, until finally Castiel closed the door and shut the two men out. Once the bickering could no longer be heard, he moved into the room and walked around Sam’s bed to move into the open chair left there next to it.

Surprisingly, Sam’s eyes were open and he was staring out the window without even acknowledging Cas’ presence. 

Castiel leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees and chin against his cupped hands. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, voice soft.

It took a while, but finally, Sam’s hazel eyes met Castiel’s. “Which part?” he asked, voice hoarse. “The part where I almost killed myself? Or, where I started hanging out with a bitch who has always wanted my brother dead?” Sam looked away, whispered so softly that Cas barely heard, “Or the part where I’m in love with my brother’s mate?”

He felt his heart stop at the words.

“Sam—”

“It’s fine, Cas.”

“It isn’t, though.” Castiel shook his head, rubbing his hands along his face and back through his hair. “It’s just another thing that was ruined by fate. But we can’t do anything about it now, unfortunately.” Cas stood, brushing his hand over Sam’s. “All we can have is friendship, Sam, and I know it’s bullshit and it’s going to hurt, but that’s all we get. And as your friend — your _best_ friend, I’m going to be here to make sure you keep moving forward. And be your wingman as needed.”

“Cas…”

“I won’t lose you, Sam. No matter what.”

* * *

\--- **Interlude: Sam** \---

* * *

Moving forward wasn’t easy. Sam wanted to sit and dwell on his own feelings and issues, but knew that his family wouldn’t allow that to happen. After a week in the hospital recovering, he went back to Bobby’s and tried to get back into the routine of regular life. Thankfully, though he was still around a lot, Castiel realized that they would both benefit from a separation of feelings and friendship. He stopped by once a week to drop off food, and Sam made an effort to do his homework at the coffee shop a couple times a week, but a wall had been built between them. It wasn’t important, he decided, to begin treating Castiel like another brother, and nothing more.

Getting involved with Ruby again had been a desperate plea for attention as he hit rock bottom, and when he stepped back into school after a few weeks off… seeing his close friends in a new light showed him that he had more than he thought. Jess Moore, for instance, took it upon herself to walk up to him the first time she saw him and slap his arm as hard as a girl of her stature could. _”Don’t you dare scare me like that again, Sam Winchester!”_

Despite the things that his depression had tried to tell him, his world did not revolve solely around his feelings for Castiel. He could move on; Cas could be just his friend and brother-in-law. 

Things could get better. 

And the harder he tried, the better things got. He focused on the few friendships he had cultivated at school. Made sure his grades and extracurricular activities were ready to look amazing on his college applications, and stopped worrying about things like high school love. He had a whole life ahead of him… plenty of time to fall in love with whomever he pleased.

There were so many people that weren’t Castiel, and though he’d always love Cas as a _friend_ , he could move past longing for something more.


	11. Chapter 11

The next few weeks focused solely on making sure that Sam was recovered. That said… three months after Sam finished his recovery, Castiel started feeling sick. It was funny how it happened, because after one morning of waking up to the smell of fried bacon and then proceeding to puke his brains out… he _knew_ immediately. He was _pregnant._

It wasn’t his most favorite thing. He could deal with monthly heats and the fact that even masturbation centered around his mate, but how was he supposed to deal with the fact that he had another living thing inside of him? It felt wrong… even before he was an omega, he had never spent a considerable amount of time picturing having a kid of his own. It wasn’t something teenagers dwelled on, but rather… _tomorrow’s_ problem.

Apparently ‘tomorrow’ wanted to show up a lot sooner than expected.

Instead of telling Dean right away, Castiel decided to wait. Partly because he was scared out of his mind, but mostly because he wanted to see if his mate would figure it out thanks to genetics or scent or some shit.

Judging by the date of his last heat (when it was most likely that he conceived), Castiel was four months along when Dean finally realized. It probably would have been sooner, if the morning sickness had been more of a thing, but as long as Dean didn’t wake up with a bacon craving, Cas was fine.

They were laying in bed one night when Cas felt a hand brushing over the smallest of bumps on his lower abdomen. 

“Naughty omega,” Dean whispered in his ear. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Cas let his head loll to the side so that he could stare at his mate in the moonlight. “Wanted to see how long it’d take you to find out.”

“Uh huh.” Dean kissed his nose. “Sure it wasn’t just that you were scared shitless?”

“Okay, that too.”

“We probably should have talked about birth control after that first heat.” Dean continued touching the bump. “Will definitely look into that after this little pup is born, yeah? One is going to be more than enough for a while.”

“What will we do if the baby is an alpha?” The thought had crossed Castiel’s mind a couple of times. Odds were fifty-fifty that the baby would be either an alpha or a beta.

“Love it. Protect it. Maybe remodel that cabin of Bobby’s and make it a real home?”

“I hate that cabin,” Cas huffed.

“Okay,” Dean laughed, lips trailing down to the mating mark on Castiel’s neck. “Demolish it and build our own place?”

“Would be better, yeah. Design our own spot and make it what we want it to be.”

“We’ll figure it out.”

* * *

Castiel cut back on his job when he hit the seven month mark in his pregnancy… which was ridiculous, he told anyone that would listen. _”I’m fine. I can still work!”_ But Cain backed Dean up on the decision and promised Cas he would have a job once the little one arrived.

It, unfortunately, left him with a lot of free time that drove him absolutely insane. During spring break, when Sam was finally off from school for a week, he all but demanded that his friend spend as much time with him as possible. “ _Please._ ” He begged. “I’m going insaneeeee.”

Sam agreed… but only on one very important condition.

“Friday and Saturday I’ll be busy.”

“Busy?” Castiel frowned. “Doing what? If you say homework, I’m going to smack you, because spring break is for actually _relaxing._ ”

“I’m going to the lake with the Moore family.”

 _That,_ of course, threw Castiel for a loop. “Moore? As in… Jessica?”

Sam ducked his head and nodded, cheeks getting the slightest bit rosy. “We’ve been dating. Her parents invited me to come along on the trip.”

And maybe Castiel’s mouth dropped open in shock, but it was only because he was ridiculously happy for his friend, and okay… yeah, a bit surprised. “That’s awesome! Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

“I don’t know… you and Dean have been busy with baby preparations and it really didn’t seem like that big of a deal.”

“Nonsense. I want to hear everything. I demand it.”

* * *

Their daughter was born in the summer, all blue eyes and dark hair just like her daddy. She was two weeks old before her papa and daddy finally decided on her name — a fact that her uncle found ridiculous considering they had nine months beforehand to plan for that. If only he had known the truth — that Castiel and Dean had engaged in five separate arguments about name options and still been unable to settle on anything.

But Caity Marie didn’t care about living a few extra days as Baby Winchester. She’d never know that her parents had spent many a night testing out various names while in her company before finally picking the one that she smiled at.

When she was four, they took her in for a check-up and to find out her secondary gender. Since female alphas were very rare, they had, for the most part, come to believe that the girl was probably a beta — a fact that made Castiel breath a lot easier on her behalf. Her life would be very different as an alpha, and he honestly never wished that pain and ridicule on any child.

Of course, things were never simple, and when the test came back, the doctor walked into the room looking like he’d seen a ghost. “I can’t believe it,” he whispered. “We’ve ran it four times and still…”

Castiel felt his stomach flip-flop, but kept a neutral attitude as he continued to sit with Caity on his lap. “Doctor, it really isn’t that rare for female alphas to be—”

The doctor thrust the papers at them. “She’s omega!”

Caity jumped a bit at the sudden exclamation, looked around the room, and focused back on Dean’s phone where she was watching a cartoon to pass the time.

“What?” Dean asked, staring at the papers like they were written in gibberish. “That’s impossible.”

“It’s been a millennia, but the results don’t lie. I mean, we could take another sample and do another test but…”

Castiel thought about his daughter’s characteristics — how she had been a quiet baby, barely fussing at all when she was unhappy. That had progressed to the smart girl with a remarkable imagination that sat on his lap at that moment. Her preschool teachers had both said she was beyond the normal levels in intellect, and she could pick up a new skill without much problem at all, even at four, hell… she was even learning to speak Spanish, and knew enough sign language to converse with Dean’s deaf co-worker Eileen.

He had always thought that she was special, but brushed it off as being a father’s love blinding him. 

At that moment, though, he kissed her head and smiled. “My beautiful girl. One of a kind.”


End file.
